Octopede is a reinvention of the basic principles of the classic Snake with a neat digital twist. The player can move in eight directions around the play area, collecting data that is used to lengthen the Octopede’s tail. Every eight segments of tail can be ‘cached’, which increases the score multiplier, but means that those tail pieces can no longer be used as extra health when taking damage. As well, there are various weapons and abilities that need to have ‘ammunition’ collected first, or they will remove an un-cached segment of your tail.

The game takes place on a single, rectangular stage, as shown above. However, as you play the game, new elements are added, and the board is cleared, rebuilt, cleared, and rebuilt again. The game starts out pretty slow but starts throwing new things at you pretty quickly. You’ll be dealing with viruses that chase you outright, firewalls that are best avoided, and all sorts of other enemies and bosses that will corrupt your data if they get their way.

It’s actually a pretty engaging experience; trying to balance your remaining health pieces and cached multiplier can get pretty intense if you’re going for the high score. The game has nice, computer-y graphics, and an awesome (if limited) chiptune soundtrack that doesn’t get on your nerves even after a 20 minute run.

As far as the controls go, they might take some getting used to, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll be zipping all over the place. Of note is that the game also supports a gamepad input, which can make it easier to play.

The game is available as ‘pay-what-you-want’ over at Indievania, with a minimum of a $1.00 purchase. And it’s absolutely worth it.